The Golden Braid (27 page)

Gerek thought about Rapunzel, hoping she was well and had not been molested or harmed in any way. But that was only because . . . well, she was a good girl, having suffered an odd upbringing at the hands of a mother who was quite possibly insane, and now Rapunzel
had no one to care about her. It didn't mean he was in love with her, simply because he thought about her and prayed for her safety.

Duke Theodemar of Marienberg came forward to introduce Colin to Duke Wilhelm and then moved away, allowing Colin to speak to Duke Wilhelm while Gerek translated.

“Your Grace,” Colin said. “I came to the Holy Roman Empire with the intention of capturing Claybrook and taking him back to England to face the consequences of a murder he had committed there. I was attacked and left for dead by his men and was brought to your healer at Hagenheim Castle.”

Colin held himself erect, doing well at disguising his nervousness. “Before I could recover enough to come to you with my story, you had left Hagenheim. I explained to Lady Margaretha about Claybrook's true character, and she eavesdropped on Claybrook and discovered what he was about to do in Hagenheim. We were both captured by him, but we escaped and tried to make our way to Marienberg. We traveled for several days—”

“You traveled with my daughter? Who accompanied you?” Duke Wilhelm's eyes were intense as they stared at Colin.

“Sir, we were alone most of the time.” He continued quickly, and Gerek translated as fast as he could. “But I assure you, your daughter is as virtuous as pure snowflakes, and I wish to ask your blessing and permission to marry her, if she is willing, for I have fallen in love with her.”

Duke Wilhelm studied him with narrowed eyes. “And how does my daughter feel? Is she in love with you?”

“I don't know, sir. I would like to discover that myself, as soon as I see her again.”

“And where is my daughter now?”

Gerek could feel the tension as he translated their words. Indeed,
Duke Wilhelm already had been told by his scouts that Claybrook's men had brought her back to Hagenheim Castle.

“I do not know for certain. She was taken by Claybrook's men. I believe she should have arrived back at Hagenheim one or two days ago.”

Duke Wilhelm said nothing, but stared at Colin from beneath those lordly brows of his. To his credit, Colin gave him stare for stare, without flinching.

Colin went on to explain that he would inherit his father's title of Earl of Glynval upon his father's death. He also said, “You have my word that I would cherish your daughter and treat her well, for I fear God and know that I shall answer for how I treat a godly woman like Margaretha.”

Surely this was the kind of man a father would want his daughter to marry, someone who would truly love her, not someone like Gerek who only wished to marry for land and property.

It was a sobering thought, but he didn't have time to dwell on it as he continued to translate the two men's words.

“I believe you are an honorable man,” Duke Wilhelm said. “If Margaretha wishes it, and if her mother approves of you, you have my blessing to wed.”

Colin seemed relieved and grateful. Now they just had to save Margaretha and the rest of Hagenheim before it was too late.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Cristobel returned from the privy. “Margaretha and
Claybrook have just been wed.”

Everyone paused in their work to stare. “Lady Rose was disguised as Lady Margaretha.”

The servants gasped. Rapunzel's mouth went dry.

“But Claybrook discovered it before the ceremony was over and forced them to change places. Margaretha refused to give her consent, but the priest pronounced them man and wife even so.”

The servants shook their heads, frowned, and went back to work.

Rapunzel pulled out the pouch of holly berries and a stone pestle and mortar and started grinding the first small handful of berries.

One of the maidservants came running into the kitchen. “Sir Reginald is coming! He wants to inspect the food—”

Rapunzel shoved the berries and the mortar and pestle under the counter, covering them with an upturned pottery bowl. Then she grabbed her bandage and was slipping it back on when Sir Reginald entered the room.

Everyone was quiet, pretending to work and ignoring the tall man as he walked slowly around the kitchen. Rapunzel had no work in front of her, so she grabbed a head of cabbage and started cutting it.

When Reginald came to Cook, who was stirring a stewpot over the fire, he said, “What is for dessert?”

Cook raised her head and shoulders proudly and said, “Fried fruit pastries, sweet custard with cherry sauce, and almond cream and ricotta in puff pastry shells.”

Sir Reginald raised his brows but said nothing. He continued walking. Rapunzel kept chopping as he paused behind her. The back of her neck prickled as she chopped awkwardly with her right hand, not using her “injured” left hand.

Surely he couldn't see what was hidden under the counter. She didn't dare turn and look at him or pause in her work.

“What is the cabbage for?” Sir Reginald asked.

Cook spoke up. “I am putting it in the pottage, for the servants.”

Finally, Sir Reginald moved on.

Rapunzel's heartbeat didn't steady until after Sir Reginald left. She breathed a sigh, took the holly berries out of their hiding place, and started pounding and grinding them again.

Meanwhile, the pages and squires and some of the menservants were taking the platters of food out to the Great Hall.

“Lady Margaretha looks quite defiant,” one of them reported.

“She'll escape again,” someone else said. “The rumor is that she knows of a secret passageway somewhere in the castle.”

Good. Putting the holly berries in Lord Claybrook's wine would give her that chance.

“Are those berries ready yet?” Cook asked.

Cristobel appeared at her side. “I'm ready to give that Claybrook a good dose of them.”

“We should wait until the end so that he doesn't start vomiting during the feast. Let him get sick at the end so the guards will not realize what we did and Lady Margaretha will have time to escape before they find out.”

But it was hard to wait. Rapunzel's fingers trembled slightly whenever she reached for more berries to crush. Finally, she began transferring the berry paste into a flask of wine and swirling it around. She and Cook decided to put the berries into two flasks and made sure to instruct the servers that those two were only for Lord Claybrook and his knights.

They might all get hanged for poisoning Lord Claybrook, but no one seemed to be thinking of that. They shot furtive glances at each other and smiled as the serving boys carried out the two special flasks of wine.

Rapunzel inhaled a shaky breath. It was certainly worth the risk.

After hours of work, and the strain of trying to poison Lord Claybrook, Rapunzel and the other servants were moving slowly as they cleaned the kitchen and began to go off to their sleeping quarters. But she couldn't help wondering if her holly berry poisoning plan had worked. Were enough of the knights sick too? Was this a good time to help Lady Rose and the family escape?

She simply didn't want to go to bed now. She wanted to do something.

“Are you ready?” Cristobel asked, suppressing a yawn. “I'm so tired, I may sleep until noon if Frau Adelheit doesn't come and drag me out of bed.”

“I'll be there soon. I just want to see if I can find out what is happening in the castle.”

“Be careful.”

“Don't worry. I have two knives in my pocket.” Rapunzel smiled and slipped out the door.

No guards were in sight, so she scurried across the way to the castle and went inside.

It was dark, as some of the torches on the wall had burned out. Rapunzel moved cautiously along the wall toward the stairs that led up to the solar and also led to the second-floor corridors where the family's bedchambers were located.

Rapunzel put one foot on the bottom step when a shadow moved to her left. It was Balthasar, emerging from the library.

She backed away, her throat suddenly dry. He advanced toward her. She put one foot behind her, then the other.

“I have you now,” he said quietly. His teeth shone in the dim light.

“Stay back or I'll scream.”

“Scream all you want. Nobody will help you. They're all drunk.” He kept walking toward her.

Rapunzel slipped her hand inside her pocket and closed her fist around the handle of her knife. “Stay back.”

He lunged at her and closed his hands around her throat.

Rapunzel raised the knife and sliced across both his forearms.

He cried out, like the snarl of a wild animal. He squeezed her throat hard, then let go. She couldn't breathe, but she turned around and ran.

Seeing the door of the linen room ajar, Rapunzel ran inside and closed the door behind her, slamming the crossbar down to lock it. The man crashed into the door, shaking it and making a loud boom, but the crossbar held and the door stayed closed.

Rapunzel sucked air in, gasping and coughing past the pain in her throat.

“Who is there? What is that sound?”

Rapunzel turned to see Frau Adelheit, her face illuminated by several candles.

“Rapunzel. Who is that beating on the door?”

“It's the man who attacked me.”

“What does he want? Why is he beating on the door?”

Rapunzel was still clutching the knife in her hand. She took several steps back. “It's Balthasar. He wants revenge against me for throwing a knife and hitting him in the arm.”

Frau Adelheit's lips thinned into a firm line. “I don't think he can open the door, and we shall pray that someone will come to our aid. It will be dawn in a few hours.”

The man was still pounding on the door every few seconds and growling. Rapunzel took off her fake bandage and rubbed her hands together.

“You must be very tired,” Frau Adelheit said. “We may as well use these linens to make something of a bed for ourselves.”

“But these are clean. We'll get them dirty.”

“We cannot worry about a little thing like that, not when that monster, Lord Claybrook, has wed our sweet Lady Margaretha.” Frau Adelheit's lower lip quivered and she bit it.

“We poisoned him,” Rapunzel said.

“What?” Frau Adelheit furrowed her brow.

“We, the other servants and I, poisoned Lord Claybrook's wine with some holly berries we got from Frau Lena. I would be surprised if Lady Margaretha does not escape him tonight.”

“Oh. That is . . . marvelous.” Frau Adelheit expelled a quick laugh.

Since there was little else in the room besides linens, it did not take them long to lay some sheets on the stone floor and lie down. While the man continued to beat periodically on the door, Rapunzel and Frau Adelheit lay still, waiting.

They talked of various plans to try to escape, but since the room had no windows, there seemed to be no real options.

It had been quiet for a while. “Perhaps he has left.” Rapunzel forced herself to stand and walk to the door. She put her ear up to it.

“Be careful,” Frau Adelheit whispered. “He may be waiting quietly on the other side so that you'll think he's gone.”

She listened again and heard nothing. So she knocked quietly, then louder. Still nothing. Finally, she pounded on the door and shouted, “Can anyone hear me?”

“I hear you!” It was Balthasar. He let out a wild laugh that sent shivers over her arms and down her back. “Come on out. I have something for you.” He laughed again.

Rapunzel went back and sat down. “I'm so sorry you got trapped in here with me.”

Frau Adelheit shook her head. “I'm not sorry to be able to keep our dear Elsebeth company at such a time as this.” A tear slipped down the older woman's cheek.

And they might remain the only two people, besides Gothel, to know that she was Elsebeth. Eventually Balthasar would be able to convince someone to bring a mace or an ax and break down the door. Or he might go and get one himself and return before they knew he was gone.

“We may as well sleep,” Rapunzel said and lay down. She closed her eyes, but her mind was wide-awake. Almost immediately, Balthasar started pounding on the door again and shouting, making sure she never forgot he was there, waiting for her.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Wake up! He's breaking through the door!”

Rapunzel must have fallen asleep because she opened her eyes to Frau Adelheit leaning over her.

Rapunzel sat up and scrambled to her feet. She found both knives in her pocket and handed one to Frau Adelheit and clutched the other one in her own hand as a hole appeared in the door. Balthasar peered in, his leering grin partially visible as well. “You're mine now.” His laugh was hoarse.

Frau Adelheit screamed. He slammed the mace into the door, widening the hole. Frau Adelheit screamed again. He hit the door and she screamed. Over and over.